Frida Kahlo
Frida Kahlo was a Mexican artist. She was born on July 6, 1907, although Frida claimed to be born on 1910, the year of the outbreak of the Mexican revolution, because she wanted her life to begin with the modern Mexico. She was extremely independent as a child and very proud of her heritage. She fought against common beliefs and often rebelled against society.
Frida contracted Polio when she was five years old, and in 1925 she was in a horrible bus accident, which caused severe damage to her body. A pole had pierced through her stomach and pelvis, which caused her tremendous physical pain for the rest of her life. She had 32 surgical operations attempting to correct what had been destroyed, but nothing helped. She wore brace after brace, body casts, corsets, and endured all sorts of things in hopes of making herself well again.
Most of her work was done from her bed, since she was unable to get around much. She was also unable to have children, which was one of the worst blows in her mind. She was passionately in love with Diego Rivera, who was exceptionally unfaithful to her but still supportive. He loved her just as much as she loved him, although it was hard to tell sometimes. Diego was not the only unfaithful partner in the relationship; Frida had innumerable affairs with some very famous people, both men and women, including but by all means not limited to the following:
However, Frida and Diego were married once and then divorced due to one of
his affairs (with Frida's sister
Christina, no less) or perhaps with Frida's none-too-subtle relationship with
Trotsky. But they eventually married again.
Kahlo died on July 13, 1954, after contracting bronchial pneumonia.